Garment hanger



Sept. 6, 1955 J. E. SCHAERER 2,717,108

GARMENT HANGER Filed Aug. 24, 1953 5 INVENZI OR.

John E Scha erer J6 ATTD RN EYS United States Patent 2,717,108 GARMENT HANGER John E. Schaerer, Clifton, N. J. Application August 24, 1953, Serial No. 375,891 1 Claim. (Cl. 223-91) This invention relates to a clothes or garment hanger.

The object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger which includes a novel locking mechanism for preventing articles of clothing from accidentally becoming disengaged therefrom. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger which can be readily manipulated so as to insert an article of clothing therein and wherein the article will be prevented from falling out unless the user desires to remove the clothing or article therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the garment hanger, constructed according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the garment hanger and showing the rod in locking position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but on an enlarged scale and showing an article of clothing or a garment locked therein.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the garment hanger.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral designates a crossbar or crossmember which has a hook 11 connected thereto. Secured to the crossbar 10 and arranged in spaced parallel relation with respect to each other is a pair of brackets 12. Each of the brackets 12 has the same construction and each includes a pair of side pieces 14 and 15, a bottom piece 16 and an end piece 13. These pieces may be secured together in any suitable manner as for example by means of nails, screws or the like. The side, end and bottom pieces cooperate to define in each bracket 12 an elongated slot 17 for a purpose to be later described.

Extending between the pair of brackets 12 and secured thereto is a triangular shaped base or bar 18, Figure 2. The base 18 may be secured to the side pieces by screws 21, and the upper edge 19 of the base 18 may be rounded slightly so as to prevent damage to the article of clothing 22 being supported. The base 18 is further provided with an inclined face 20, and the inclined face 20 is spaced from the side pieces 14, Figures 2 and 3.

Movably mounted in the slot 17 is a cylindrical rod 23 which is adapted to coact with the inclined face 20 of the base 18 to clamp the garments 22 therebetween. The diameter of the rod 23 is greater than the distance between the lower edge of the inclined face 20 and the opposed surfaces of the side pieces 14.

From the foregoing it is apparent that there has been provided a garment hanger which includes a novel locking mechanism that will prevent articles such as the articles 22 from becoming accidentally disengaged from the hanger. In use the rod 23 can be moved up away from the base 18 as shown in dotted line in Figure 3 to provide suificient clearance for the articles 22 to be draped over the base 18. Then, the rod 23 will fall by gravity when released as when the garment hanger is held in an upright position and the rod 23 will cam ice against or wedge the articles 22 between the rod 23 and the inclined face 20. In the event that an attempt is made to withdraw the articles 22 from the garment hanger with the rod 23 in the position shown in Figures 2 or 3, the result will be an even greater tightening or wedging action exerted on the articles 22.

The garment hanger can be made of any suitable material such as wood or plastic and the hanger includes the crossbar 10 having the curved portions for hanging a coat or jacket thereon. The brackets are provided with the slots 17 in which the rod 23 moves up and down. The rod 23 causes a slight pressure on the material 22 that isdraped over the base 18. The rod 23 is only thick enough to be rigid and the dimensions of the parts can be varied as desired. The width of the side pieces 14 and 15 is of an inch to A; of an inch less than the thickness of the rod 23 and the base 18 to thereby form' a lock when the rod 23 falls into locked position. When the rod 23 falls into position over the material 22, a jamb is provided to prevent the material from slipping out. For example by taking a pair of trousers in a persons left hand and holding the garment hanger in the right hand the hanger can be held on its side by a flip of the wrist so that the lock rod 23 will roll up from the solid line position of Figure 3 to the dotted line position of Figure 3. This will provide sufficient clearance to slip in the trousers 22 between the rod 23 and the base 18 and then by holding the hanger in an upright position with the right hand, the lock rod 23 would roll down over the material and cause a slight pressure which would be enough to keep the material from falling out regardless of how little material was placed in the hanger. The more the material is pulled the tighter the rod will be pulled into the triangle and since the triangle is thicker than the width there would result the jamming action. If desired the side pieces 14 and 15 can have the same width as the thickness of the base and rod. The hanger can be readily manipulated with one hand. The brackets 12 or the other parts of the hanger can be made of any suitable material such as plastic or wood.

I claim:

A garment hanger comprising a crossmember, an upstanding hook arranged intermediate the ends of said crossmember and secured thereto, a pair of vertically disposed spaced parallel brackets secured to said crossmember adjacent the ends thereof and each bracket including a pair of side pieces, an end piece, and a bottom piece, the lower edges of said pieces being coplanar, said pieces defining an elongated inwardly extending vertical slot in each bracket, a bar triangular in cross section extending between said brackets and secured thereto, one of the surfaces of said bar abutting said bottom pieces, another of the surfaces of said bar being steeply inclined to a horizontal plane and having its lower edge-spaced from the opposed side pieces and defining a space therebetween, the upper longitudinal edge of said bar being rounded, and a cylindrical rod having its ends slidably positioned in said slots and movable downwardly in said spaces for coaction with said inclined surface to maintain a gar-' ment on the bar, the diameter of said rod being greater than the distance between the lower edge of said inclined surface and either of the opposed side pieces.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 107,013 Germany Dec. 2, 

